Ch 116: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

The whereabouts of Uighur (people from Wuhe) were not difficult to find. A bit of inquiry in the southern part of the city revealed that they were still staying in the city, lodged at the Yun Jian Inn. The inn’s female innkeeper had deep-set eyes and a striking appearance, different from the typical women of the capital. It was said she had a quarter of Uighur blood in her veins. She was fluent in many languages, and many foreign merchants coming to the capital would stay at the Yun Jian Inn.

Qin Xia sent a steward from the Duke’s residence, along with the Huang brothers, to invite them, concealing the identity of their master and offering them a decent sum of money. The outward story was that the master had enjoyed the Uighur flatbread brought back by the Huang brothers, found it delicious, and, considering that the Uighur caravan would soon leave the city, had sent his kitchen staff to learn the technique of making it.

Several people from the Uighur caravan quickly stepped forward, stating they knew how to build a “nang pit” and bake the flatbread. It seemed that in Uighur culture, this skill was common, much like how people in Da Yong steamed buns—a kitchen trade skill, not a closely guarded secret.

One among them recognized Huang Xing and Huang Guang, even speaking a few broken words of the official language. He was the same translator who had been present when the flatbread was sold. Naturally, they chose the one who could communicate as the leader.

The steward handed over the silver as a deposit on the spot to prevent any second thoughts and inquired about the materials needed to build the nang pit, arranging for them to be purchased. He gave the Uighur leader an address, instructing him to arrive there early the next day with one or two capable helpers.

The Uighur merchant, feeling the generosity of the wealthy families in the capital, pocketed the silver happily, offering a fairly proper bow and promising to show up on time the next day.

The address provided was arranged by Yu Jiuque. The Uighur merchants couldn’t be brought directly into the residence, but finding another location wasn’t difficult. The site, also in the southern part of the city and not far from Heguang Pavilion, was a two-entry house, perfectly discreet.

The following day, Qin Xia arrived in the backyard of the house and met three Uighur merchants and a few of the household’s servants who had come to help. Upon seeing Qin Xia, who was dressed in a brocade robe and had a handsome face, the Uighur merchants immediately realized that he was the one in charge. They quickly came forward to pay their respects and even presented a gift: a set of finely crafted handmade white copper wine vessels with intricate designs.

The Uighur names were difficult to pronounce and even harder to remember, so Qin Xia, as usual, greeted them politely.

“I have no particular hobbies in life except for a love of fine food. The flatbread from your homeland that I tasted the other day left a lasting impression, which is why I sent someone to invite you here. I hope to learn your technique, and I thank you for accepting the invitation.”

The Uighur people came from a small country, with a status far below that of Qiang or Sharong. Even when trading goods, they merely picked up the leftovers from the bigger players. Rarely were they treated with such courtesy by a wealthy person in the capital, so they were eager to perform well.

After exchanging pleasantries, Qin Xia reclined on a chaise lounge under the grape trellis, assuming the demeanor of a leisurely and wealthy man overseeing the proceedings.

The Uighur merchant who understood the official language stood by, ready to translate. Meanwhile, the others rolled up their sleeves, undeterred by the cold weather, and got to work, assisted by the servants of the household.

As they had discussed the day before, all the materials needed to build the nang pit had been prepared and stacked in the courtyard: a large cart of ready-made clay bricks, two big sacks of fine clay without stones, a large jar of salt, bundles of wool, and a full cistern of well water.

In their homeland, the clay bricks had to be made from scratch, taking several days. Buying them ready-made significantly sped up the process. Ideally, the clay should be soaked in water for two days, but since the master was in a hurry, they would have to make do, even though the finished pit might not last as long.

Qin Xia wasn’t concerned about longevity. As long as the pit lasted for two weeks, that would be sufficient. If time permitted later, he would have a more durable one built.

Relieved by the clarification, one Uighur merchant began stacking the bricks to form a square base on the ground and used charcoal to mark a circle. Meanwhile, the other two, along with the servants from the Duke’s household, soaked the wool in the saltwater and mixed it with the clay, stomping on it barefoot until the three components blended completely, making the mixture ready for use.

The work progressed quickly with four men, and at this stage, no translation was needed. Just by gestures, the servants knew what to do.

The Uighur man who understood the official language watched for a while before respectfully approaching Qin Xia and bowing again, clearly intending to strike up a conversation.

Qin Xia ordered a seat to be added nearby and casually brewed some tea. The two sat opposite each other and began chatting.

The man’s name, when written in Dayong characters, could be rendered as Yale. Like many merchants, he was keen to make connections. Qin Xia understood that Yale was trying to establish a business relationship, as evidenced by his offering a gift even after receiving payment for the work.

Uighur merchants often traded in carpets, copperware, furs, jewelry, and rare spices or medicines. Once these goods passed through customs, they were sold at high prices. Merchants typically made a fortune on each trip, exchanging their wares for tea, porcelain, lacquerware, silk, embroidery, salt, and sugar to take back home. It was said that “one successful trade could feed you for three years.”

During their conversation, Qin Xia casually mentioned that he owned a sugar refinery, and the cost of his sugar production was lower than that of other suppliers. Upon hearing this, Yale became visibly excited, almost stumbling over his words. After much effort, he finally expressed his desire to collaborate with Qin Xia, hoping to purchase batches of brown and granulated sugar, offering immediate payment in full.

Qin Xia, however, remained calm. There’s no rush in doing business, and his sugar refinery’s production capacity hadn’t yet fully ramped up. They were just about managing to meet the supply for the his candy shop. Today’s conversation was more of a casual way to lay the groundwork for potential future dealings.

Of course, giving them a small quantity of sugar to whet their appetite wouldn’t hurt.

Qin Xia was willing to sell a limited amount of sugar, particularly because these were Uighur merchants—few in number and low-key. The Uighur people had long been a vassal of Dayong, so their presence in the capital didn’t attract much attention, making them a perfect choice for a trial run.

With Qin Xia’s approval for a small supply, Yale became even more enthusiastic. When Qin Xia mentioned that he was interested in acquiring some spices, a few beautiful carpets, and perhaps some raisins, Yale offered the spices at a favorable price and even promised to throw in the raisins and other dried fruits for free.

Qin Xia, pleased with the arrangement, responded with a more genuine smile and inquired, “I’d also like some grape seeds from your country—any variety, but preferably those suitable for winemaking. Would that be possible?”

“Rest assured, leave it to us,” Yale said, thumping his chest confidently. He thought to himself, If I can secure a cheap source of sugar from this young master, I’d even find a way to transport fresh grapes here by camel, let alone grape seeds for winemaking!

Grape seeds were no trouble at all. Trade between the regions had already facilitated the exchange of crops, and after all, grapes were not originally native to the Central Plains either.

While the conversation on one side went smoothly, the construction of the “nang pit” on the other side continued without pause. By the time Qin Xia and Yale had finished their chat, the pit had begun to take shape.

On the ground was a circular pit, lined with yellow clay and bricks. The pit was wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, as Qin Xia had mentioned wanting to roast lamb in it, so it was built quite tall.

Yale explained that they only needed to reinforce it one more time and wait for the clay to dry, and then it would be ready for use.

“In our homeland, nang pits are built in the summer and dry overnight. Now, it might take two to three days.”

Indeed, Qin Xia would have to wait, even though he was eager to try it out. They agreed that once the nang pit had dried, Yale would return with his men to teach them how to bake flatbread and use the pit to roast meat.

Despite the cold in Shengjing, the air was dry, which would help the process.

Two days passed, and the nang pit was finally ready to use. Yale arrived again, not only bringing his men but also the spices and carpets that Qin Xia had ordered, along with a variety of dried fruits such as raisins, dried apricots, dried melons, large dates, and walnuts, which were given as gifts.

The dates were particularly remarkable, as large as eggs, quite different from the small golden-thread dates commonly found in Dayong, which amazed everyone.

Qin Xia was accompanied by the Huang brothers, who were experts in making various dough-based foods, making them ideal candidates to learn how to make nang bread. However, Qin Xia was more focused on learning the meat-roasting techniques.

In the back kitchen, flour, sheep’s milk, and onions were prepared. Yale and his group brought a jar of ghee, and the demonstration of nang-making began.

Besides the Huang brothers, Qin Xia also learned the process himself.

Starting with kneading and fermenting the dough, they shaped it into small dough balls, adding salt, sugar, pepper, and a few spices. The dough was gradually stretched by hand, using the natural rotation of the dough to enlarge it, and was brushed with onion oil, which had been made by frying onions.

They also made a version with ghee and minced onions, as many people from Dayong found ghee difficult to digest, so they made just a few for tasting.

“There are many kinds of nang—big ones, small ones, sweet ones, salty ones…” Yale explained to Qin Xia while personally heating the nang pit. Besides the charcoal at the bottom, they also added firewood to the pit.

Once the pit was heated, two Uighur men, along with the Huang brothers, brought out the prepared nang dough and demonstrated how to stick the dough onto the inner walls of the nang pit.

After about fifteen minutes, the wooden board covering the pit was removed, and the freshly baked nang was ready.

“It smells amazing! So much better than the cold ones we bought on the street the other day!” The freshly baked nang had a rich, wheaty aroma, was golden and chewy, with a slight salty taste. It was so delicious that you could easily eat a large piece on its own.

The version with ghee had none of the expected gamy flavor but instead had a rich, crispy, and buttery taste.

Seeing that all the Dayong locals present were raving about the nang bread, the three Uighur men were beaming with pride.

After the first batch of nang was baked, they made a second batch, this time with raisins, followed by roasting meat.

To roast meat in the nang pit, they placed an iron rack near the pit opening and hung the meat inside. The meat roasted in the pit turned out crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and incredibly juicy.

With the new techniques learned, Qin Xia felt even more confident about using the nang pit to prepare Hunyang Mohu.

After arranging the date for the sugar trade with Yale, and bidding farewell to the Uighur merchants who had been a great help, Qin Xia selected a few pieces of each flavor of nang, along with a good amount of roasted meat, to take back to the mansion for Yu Jiuque to try. The rest he left with the Huang brothers to take back to Heguang Pavillion  and share with the staff there.

That day, Yu Jiuque was resting. He hadn’t slept well the night before due to the baby in his belly keeping him up, so he was still in bed by noon when Qin Xia returned.

Seeing him still in bed, Qin Xia walked over and draped his outer robe over him. Noticing the faint pillow mark on Yu Jiuque’s cheek, Qin Xia found it quite endearing.

“You must be hungry after sleeping so long. Looks like I came back just in time. You can try these Uighur foods in a bit and see how they taste.”

After Yu Jiuque washed up and dressed, the nang and roasted meat were already plated and brought to the table, with just the right amount of food for him. However, Qin Xia was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is your master?” he asked the maid in the room.

The maid smiled and replied, “Master said he had already instructed the kitchen to prepare more dishes before he left. He thought that just the bread and meat would be too little, so he asked that you start with these to fill your stomach a bit, and that there are more good dishes on the way.”